Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-05-13
NATURAL GAS.
interesting Facts About This Subterranean
Production of the Earth.

interesting Facts About This Subterranean
Production of the Earth.
| WASHINGTON, May The recent discoy-
cry or natural gas, and the practical uses
10 "hieh 1t Is being put, in Ohio, Indiana
iAinois ana kentucky, is awakening a
Keen interest in scientific circles here,
aho the reports from those com petent to
report upon the subject are looked for
with great deal of interest The sub
Iect Is now being carefully studied by e1-
perts, ano before many months the geo
logical survey expects to have some new
ana valuable Information upon the sub
ject-
what Will be the extent, duration and
practical value of the gas producing
nelo Is subject of great interest.
And, 1t may as well be admitted. it is
SUBJECT, about which the biologists and
sclentlnc people generally know very lit
Tie as YET. Where it comes from. when
ana now 1t was formed, whether its pro-
auction Is yet going on down in natures
great laboratory, how long it is going to
iast, under what parts of the country and
the SURFACE OF the earth generally it is
found. all are subjects of great uncer-
talnty and grave concern. It j. curl
Gus tact, too, that in the very sections
apunoant creating so much excitement.
its existence
HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR MANY YEARS.
and been utilized in a quiet way for de-
cade or quarter of a century, or even
more. In Findley, Ohio, natural gas has
been known to exist ever since its settle
ment, and was met with in
digging cellars and wells and found
IN springs and rock crevices.
In 1888, almost a full half century ago, it
was utilized IN small way for lighting
residence or two in the village, and has
been so utilized ever since. The earliest
use OF natural gas for practical pur poses,
In this country, is that at Fredovia, n. Y,
where the natural gas was found escaping
from rock crevlces and springs, when the
Holland land company made its survey.
In 1921 a we'll was sunk to the depth of
~ feet, for the purpose of gathering
some of this escaping gas, and it was
utilized with iron pipes with small holes
at the side for its escape. Burned in this
way it made fame "about equal to two
candles" By 1924, the date of La Fay
cites visit, the enterprise had progressed
so far that the town was lighted with this
natural gas On the occasion of his visit.
Probably
THE FIRST REPORTED DISCOVERY
of natural gas was in the Kanawha valley.
where it is just now, a century later,
being reeiscoysred. The earliest e1-
plorers of the Kanawha valley found
marsh gas" the modern natural gas, is
suing from springs, and it is related that
Washington, in locating lands decided
him for his military services, found a
burning spring" which he proposed to
deed for public uses, but which, through
some informally, was never completed.
Nearly half century ago natural gas was
utilized for boiling salt in the Kanawha
valley. In Illinois, where the gas excite
ment has blazed up so vigorously of late,
there have been gas wells for over 80
years, the first being utilized as early as
1855. The latest work on this
subject by the geological survey,
says: In general it may be said
that natural gas is found in varying
quantities through the territory from the
Hudson river On the east to California on
the west In New York, Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tonnes
see, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colo
RADIO, Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and Cali
fornia, its existence is reported
Where can it be found in paying guam
titles! All, that is another question.
This same work, discussing this same
question remarks that it is almost in
possible to put down the drill anywhere
in the state of Ohio without finding natu-
raj gas in greater or less quantities but
edds: Outside of the localities in which
the Berea grit and Trenton limestone have
been found the gas is produced in no very
large quantities" Perhaps the most sug
gestive and instructive statement in re-
gard to
SURFACE INDICATIONS"
is that made by Prof. Lesley touching
Pennsylvania. In answer to the ques-
ton 'Shall l bore for gas at my works.
he says:
''First of all-there can be no gas stored
up iR the Oldest rocks. This settles the
question in the negative for the whole
southeastern third of Pennsylvania To
bore for gas in Bucks, Philadelphia, Del
aware, etc, counties would be simply
absurd"
Second. There can be no gas left
under ground where the old rocks have
been turned up on edge and overturned,
fractured and recemented, faulted and
disturbed in a thousand ways. If there
ever was any it has long since found in
Vulnerable ways of escape into the
atmosphere. This settles the question
for all the counties of the great valley,
as any one can see by looking at the
present condition OF their limestone slate
and sandstone formations"
Third. There is not the least chance
that any gas is left under ground in the
greatly folded, crushed and hardened
formations of the middle of the state.
Where the oil and gas rocks rise to the
surface in these counties they show that
all their oil and gas have escaped long
ag."
Fourth Where the rock formations
lie approximately horizontal and have re-
manned nearly undisturbed over extensive
areas, as in all the counties west of the
Alleg hanies, there is always a chance of
finding gas, If not oil, at some depth be-
meath the surface, determined by the
particular formation which appears at
the surface"
Fifth. Wherever the bituminous coal
beds have been changed into anthracite
or semi bituminous coal, it is reasonable
to suppose that the same agency which
produced the change, whatever it was,
must have acted on the whole column of
formations, including any possible gas
rock at any depth"
sixth. Wherever rock oil has been
found, there and in the surrounding
region rock gas is sure to exist"
SANKEY'S Expedition
BRUssRLL, April 5. Advices from the
Stanley expedition for the relief of Emin
Bey have been received from Matadi, on